Flight (The Crescent Chronicles Book 1)

WARNING: This review may contain some spoilers. They are clearly indicated by SPOILER tags. You can skip over them if you want to.I have some pretty mixed feelings about this novel. Going into this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t know much about the series, and I hadn’t taken the time to read the synopsis. Right away, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually well written. The book was remarkably free of typos, missing words, or grammar mistakes that I’m used to seeing in many e-books these days, in fact, one of the first things I noticed about the book was the clear, fluid writing.If there’s one thing I could peg on the author, it’s great characterization. I was immediately drawn to Allie and her best friend from the very start of the book. The two girls couldn’t be any more different, but it was easy to see why the girls were friends. The banter between the characters started out strong and really struck a cord as being believable—and that’s something I’ve found to be rare in a lot of fiction. Dialogue isn’t easy to write, and the author did a spectacular job of it.Here’s where things got tricky. The story started off strong—as I said, the writing was clear, the characters had unique personalities, and the dialogue was well written. Unfortunately, I began to notice that the narrative lacked. The author didn’t spend a lot of time on descriptions of anything relevant. I could tell you, for instance, that Allie’s Range Rover was lavender—a color she didn’t particularly care for (Her favorite color is Blue by the way, and she apparently looks great in Red)—but I can’t tell you what Allie looks like. I know her best friend is blonde, but I can’t tell you if she’s short, skinny, or what color eyes she may have. The author had this strange way of glossing over all descriptions except for the most irrelevant details.For instance: At one point an entire paragraph is spent on the wainscoting, chandelier, and travertine tiles of the hotel floor, but the very next paragraph when the main male lead was identified the entirety of his description fell to: “incredibly hot guy” with “muscular arms and chest”. It made no sense to me why certain aspects of the scene were elaborated upon, but others were left entirely by the wayside. This continued to be a theme throughout the book, and while it served to quicken the pace of the chapters, I couldn’t help but feel that I was missing out on important information from time to time.As for the plot: I would label this as more of a romance than a fantasy/paranormal read. Yes, there are supernatural beings in the story; however, the majority of the book is spent on Allie’s relationship with Levi, and little else. That’s fine. I like romances, but don’t go into this thinking you’re going to get a plethora of world building and action scenes (which are typical in fantasy/paranormal novels) it’s mostly going to be about relationships.Now, before I press any further, let me say: I really enjoyed this book. Despite the little flaws in the narrative and the lack of a full plot, I liked it. I loved the characters, I loved the dialogue, I loved the feel of the relationship that was at the heart of the story—but this isn’t what I’d call a true Romance. If you have an objection to spoilers, I suggest you skip this section, I’ll signal when the spoilers are over. Let me explain:SPOILERS: From the very beginning of Allie and Levi’s relationship, he was pushy. The man wouldn’t take no for an answer, and basically followed her around, inserting himself into her life until she gave in and consented to go out with him. In real life, this would be incredibly creepy. In a book, I can usually let it slide as long as the Romance turns out to be a real heart-felt relationship. Novels are meant to be a form of escapism, and it’s okay to enjoy a bit of the dark pleasure that comes along with this kind of broody, pushy male. (By no means assume this is okay in real life though.) The guy thought he was being charming, and had already fallen head-over-heals for Allie, so while he may have crossed a few boundaries, I can live with it; I know he was being an ass because he didn’t know how else to win her heart… and believe me, Allie can be hard to persuade. However, as the story progressed, Levi became worse. He had obvious secrets he was keeping for Allie, and at times purposefully intimidated her. Eventually he basically forces her into an engagement by his society’s laws and doesn’t even tell her what’s going on. That’s not okay. The more he tried to apologize to her and weasel his way out of being in trouble (but still with every intention of making sure she followed through and married him) the more icky it felt to me. He stripped her of any choice in the matter, put her life in danger, and I’m not convinced he was actually sorry for it so much as sorry he got caught at it before he could make it sound like she was getting a good deal. END OF SPOILERSThe result of this (the spoilers), is that I wasn’t 100% behind their relationship by the end of the book. There were a few moments where I was ready to say “okay, he was an ass, but he really loves her, so maybe she should forgive him….” but the longer the whole sequence dragged on, the more I grew angry at Levi. By the end of the book, I wanted her to be nowhere near this guy—and to not forgive him at all. It’s almost tragic the way the book ended, and it left an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach.Does that mean I didn’t like the story? No. I loved it. I’m okay with the way it turned out, even if it didn’t turn out as romantic as I wanted it to. Knowing that there’s subsequent books, I’m more than willing to keep reading and see if the two characters ever iron out their relationship, but I won’t deny that I still feel uneasy about Levi. Maybe the author will clear it up for me in the next book (which I’m going to go read shortly). I hope so. I’d certainly recommend this book to others, but if you haven’t read the spoilers, I shall warn you: The romance side of this story isn’t as heart-felt and fuzzy as you’re expecting. It’s still a wonderful book (minus the few things I mentioned), but I think you have to look at it in a different way than your usual Romance in order to enjoy the way this book ends. This isn’t necessarily a story you’re going to giggle and squeal over. You’re more likely to want to punch the main male lead.I will say this in closing: I sincerely loved the characters—even Levi—despite their flaws and actions. I think they were well written… they just weren’t written the way I expected.

4.75 Stars...You know when you have a book on your shelf or on kindle, e reader or whatever you have? You finally read it and it shocks you, how could I have missed reading this for so long (Years on my kindle). Well this was the book... I truly enjoyed this one I found not put it down until I had to at 2:30 in the morning, but was so excited to finish. I did not like the deceiving part but over all I liked the sassy but Allie had. On to see what will she decide in this crazy world she chose not to be in, but is now forced to....Enjoyed I don't know what kind of supernatural beings these people are but curiosity has me wanting more.... Gina. Recommend to those who like mystery in a book and love/hate relationships...

I love how easy it is to read, the romance, drama, supernatural it’s all there.I also like when the guy is more in love with the girl at first sight. I read this series over and over and it never gets old. Always try to find books like it.

Alyssa Rose Ivy has done a phenomenal job creating a paranormal world that really draws the reader in. Set in New Orleans, Ivy places her fictional characters in a place that exudes otherworldly power, and I loved that Ivy really gave readers a taste of the area and culture, weaving it into the story alongside her interesting plotline. The paranormal aspect of this novel was extremely unique, and Ivy does a great job whetting readers' appetites; I can't wait for more because she's only just begun to scratch the surface in terms of who the Pteron really are and what power they hold over the entire paranormal world.Initially, however, I didn't like Levi. He is the representation of the cocky male who knows he looks good and won't take no for an answer, and this persona has never impressed me in real life or fiction. Levi is arrogant, and he's always turning the conversation into something sexual, so I was worried that I actually wasn't going to like the novel since Allie seemed to be giving in to him too easily, which is a big no-no for me as I'm a supporter of the strong female lead. Yet, as the book progressed, Levi grew on me a little, and I began to enjoy his and Allie's whirlwind summer romance, especially once I knew more about Levi's background and noted that Allie was strong in her own right. My love for Levi was once again suspended, though, when he went ahead and did something that angered me to no end, something I'm not okay with by any means, and neither is Allie, as is evidenced from the last 30% of the novel. But truth be told, I'm very proud of Allie's reaction. I feel exactly the same way Allie does when everything comes to light, but I am also a little worried that her defenses will fall away too easily as Levi attempts to smooth talk his way out of this situation. Only time will tell.I really do like Allie, but many times throughout the novel I found her making rash and ill-advised decisions, which turned me off a bit. However, she has just graduated from high school, she's 18, has no supervision, and has just ended a long relationship. I know how it feels to be let loose and trying to turn over a new leaf, so I can't hold it against her.I also was very thankful that Ivy keeps her novel clean. With Levi as the main character and his obsession, it seems, with getting Allie into bed, it was nice that Allie held out and that any and all sexual encounters between the characters were all "fade to black." This is turn makes it more YA friendly in that it's not explicit or overbearing for younger readers whom I think will really enjoy the story and Allie's strong sense of self-worth. She doesn't need a man to make her strong, and I loved that she was so assertive and a good role model in that respect.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately I just couldn't finish it. I did make it over half-way through. The author sets up a really great, realistic villain in the character of Levi (he rings serious alarm bells from the moment he plies her with alcohol but refuses to tell her what's in the drinks, to refusing to take "no" for an answer when she tells him repeatedly that she's not interested), but then I grew bored with the awkward, almost robotic writing style while I waited for that story line to play out. Judging from the other reviews, it doesn't, at least not in this book of the series. This is an interesting idea that unfortunately just doesn't flesh out.

It took me a few chapters to become interested in the characters. Once I was hooked, I really wanted to see how the connection between Allie and Levi would develop. I liked that Allie was a well-rounded character that was ambitious, friendly, witty and stubborn.The banter between Allie and Levi was funny. I'm interested to see how the story will unfold. On to book 2!

Ich fand den Anfang & die Idee ganz gut. Die Geschichte spielt in New Orleans und handelt von Wandlern, die in einer Art Unterwelt die Stadt regieren. Anfangs haben die beiden Hauptdarsteller noch Persönlichkeit, dann wird es irgendwie seltsam. Vor allem Levi Allie in eine Rolle zwingt, ohne ihr eine Wahl zu lassen. Liebe kann das nicht sein.Leider ist der Schluss einfach gar nicht mehr gut.

I enjoyed the easygoing nature of this read, but I did find Allie's easy acceptance from the get go too easy. Her reaction towards the end of the book would have been a more believable reaction to her first revelations! Either way the book was a fun read.

Way too short but still very good. There unexplained clipped storylines that one has to assume will be explained in subsequent books.